Contrasting Elia Group SA/NV (OTCMKTS:ELIAF) and Black Hills (NYSE:BKH)

Elia Group SA/NV (OTCMKTS:ELIAF) and Black Hills (NYSE:BKH) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, earnings and valuation.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Elia Group SA/NV and Black Hills”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Elia Group SA/NV	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Black Hills	$2.31 billion	2.42	$291.60 million	$3.84	19.10

Black Hills has higher revenue and earnings than Elia Group SA/NV.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

5.4% of Elia Group SA/NV shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.7% of Black Hills shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Black Hills shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Elia Group SA/NV and Black Hills’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Elia Group SA/NV	N/A	N/A	N/A
Black Hills	12.61%	7.77%	2.86%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Elia Group SA/NV and Black Hills, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Elia Group SA/NV	0	4	1	0	2.20
Black Hills	0	1	5	0	2.83

Black Hills has a consensus price target of $81.40, suggesting a potential upside of 10.98%. Given Black Hills’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Black Hills is more favorable than Elia Group SA/NV.

Summary

Black Hills beats Elia Group SA/NV on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Elia Group SA/NV

Elia Group SA/NV develops, builds, and operates as a transmission system operator for the electricity network in Belgium and internationally. It provides electricity transmission services; transmits electricity from generators; imports and exports electricity; and offers consultancy and engineering services. The company primarily serves electricity generators, distribution system operators, and industrial consumers. Elia Group SA/NV is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

About Black Hills

Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. The company operates in two segments: Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 222,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,394 megawatts of generation capacity and 9,106 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. The Gas Utilities segment distributes natural gas to approximately 1,116,000 natural gas utility customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming; owns and operates 4,663 miles of intrastate gas transmission pipelines; 42,514 miles of gas distribution mains and service lines; seven natural gas storage sites; and approximately 50,000 horsepower of compression and 516 miles of gathering lines. It also constructs and maintains customer owned gas infrastructure facilities for gas transportation customers; and provides appliance repair services to residential utility customers, as well as electrical system construction services to large industrial customers. In addition, the company produces electric power through wind, natural gas, and coal-fired generating plants; and coal at its coal mine located near Gillette, Wyoming. Black Hills Corporation was incorporated in 1941 and is headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota.